Method of removing scrap and folding and gluing carton blanks and machine therefor



Jan. 8, 1935. v 5 angs-ram 1,987,224

METHOD OF REMOVING SCRAP AND FOLDING AND GLUING I CARTON BLANKS AND MACHINE-THBREFOR Filed Oct. 17, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A'i'TORNEYS.

4 Jari. 8 1935. I A s. BERGSTEIN METHOD OF REMOVING SCRAP AND FOLDING AND GLUING CARTON BLANKS AND MACHINE THEREFOR Filed Oct. 1'7, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 44-& :E s/

GC'DFD n u uu B11451!- Arrows Jan. 8, 1935. 's. BERGSTEIN 1,987,224

' Y IETHOD 0F REMOVING SCRAP AND FOLDING AND GLUING CARTON BLANKS AND MACHINE THEREFOR F iled Oct. 1'7, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 [Mi H g3 u 6- Mll ATTORNEYS 4 2 2 4 7 t 8 w n G S t m n U h S R D NP. AB R GE mm 2 D 3 N 9 .l l E H, TD 7 PD WAN R D B v 5 "he SGNI mm VBF 0 N E0 RT ,R A 0.6 D O H n- E M Jan. ,5935.

ATTORNEYS S. BERGSTEIN jam. 8,- 1935. 1,987,224

7 7 METHOD OF REMOVING SCRAP AND FOLDING AND GLUING I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 CARTON BLANKS AND MACHINE THERE? Filed Oct. 17, 1932 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY-5,

Patented Jan. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT omcs f;

DIETHOD OF REMOVING SCRAP ,AND FOLD- ING AND GLUING CARTON BLANKS AND MACHINE THEREFOR Samuel Bergstein, Cincinnati, Ohio I 5 Application October 17, 1932, Serial No. 638,111

Claims.

cedure difficulty is encountered, since the blanks will not feed freely because cut-out portions catch in the edges of cut-out portions of othercartons.

Such method, therefore, requires unnecessary handling, increases the cost of production, and

invariably results in a considerable lossby spoilageof cut-out blanks.

It-ls an object of my invention to provide a machine with which it is possible to remove the 29v scrap materials from the cut-out sections, apply adhesive, fold, and effect adhesion, in one contlnuous operation. 1

Another object of my invention is to provide av machine in combination with a folding and gluing machine, which will permit the feeding of the blanks with the scrap sections remaining in them, and to thenv remove thescrap sections, au-

tomatically just prior to andwhilemovingthe blank without interruption to the folding and luing operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a specialtype of folding mechanism in which; a carton with l d e portions is automatically formed on a standard folding and gluing machine.

Specifically it is an object of my invention to provide a machine which will automatically remove the scrap sections of a carton blank while it is being fed to the folding and gluing operations which complete the forming of the knock-down carton, In the sequence of operationsln the machine, three glue joints, are !orined,two.to form legs, and another to complete the sealing of the carton in knocked-down tubular condition.

These and other objects will be more specifically p inted out. in the specification and the drawing forming part of this application.

In the drawings:---- Figure 1 is a plan view of part 01 the machine. Figure 1a is a fragmentary .plan and the continuation of Figure 1.

Figure 2 is an elevation with part in section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 2a is an elevation in section taken on the line '2g'-2ll otFisure' ls.

Figure3 is a plan of a blank that can be folded and pasted on the machine. I Figure 4 is a perspective of the blank after removing the scrap sections and making the first. fold. 5 Figure 5 is a perspective of the carbon after completing the folding and gluing operations.

Figure 6 is a perspective of the special type or foldover plate used on the machine.

Figure 7 is a section taken on the line Figure 6. l Figures 8, 9, and 10 are sections taken on the, respective lines indicated in Fig. 6. v Fig. 11 is a partial plan view of the final fold.- ing and pressing means.

Fig. 12 is apartial perspective view of the car;. ton in set upcondition.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, ,1. have shown in part the usual mechanism as on folding and gluing machines. The machine is 94 supported on the side frame castings 1 audio Mounted on the side frame castings are bearing! brackets 2 and 2a in which is rotatably mounted. a driven shaft 3. Fixedly mounted on the shaft there is a feed roller 4 for the carton blanks 5. as; 5 The blanks are stacked fiatwise one on top of the 7 other in a sloping hopper 6. Another feed roller, 7 is fixed on another shaft 8 which is rotatably' mounted in bearings provided in the brackets 2 and 2a.

Fixedly mounted on the shaft 8 are two pulleys 9 and 9a for driving endless belt conveyors 10' and 10a. These belts extend towards and are. around other pulleys 11 which are fixed on an-' other shaft 12. The shaft 12 is rotatably mount- 35:,

ed inbearings provided in brackets 13 and 13a. fixed on the side frame of the machine.

Above the conveyor belts just described are other hold-down belts 14 and. 14a. These belts, pass under a series of rollers 15 and l5awhlch"40 are rotatably mounted on studs 16 fixed in plates 17 and 17a. These plates are rotatably mounted on a shaft 18, and fixed between them on the shaftare pulleys l9 and 19a. These pulleys provide the driving means for the hold-down belts. 5.- Other rollers 20 are provided on the tops of the belts to tension them. These belts just described apply pressure to the carton on the top and hold it down firmly on the conveyor belts so that the; carton will be carried through the machine. 0?

On each side of the machine are guide rails 21 i and 21a to keep the cartons in their proper line of travel. Another guide orsurface plate 23 is provided to keep the carton fiatwhile the scrap is being removed. This plate has an opening 24*? sides of the machine.

extending through it, which permits a bent end of a spring member to press the scrap section 25a through it in the manner shown at 26 in Figure 2.

The spring member has a straight shank 27 which extends through and is held fast in a shaft 28 by means of a set screw 29. The shaft 28 is rotatably mounted in bearings 30 provided at the Other spring members with bent ends 31 have straight shanks 31a which extend through the shaft 28. These spring members are also held in place on the shaft 28 by means of the set screws 31b. The bent portions of these last mentioned springs are so positioned that they will press on the blank, and whenever a cut-out section comes under them, the cutout section will be ejected from the hole.

Rigidly mounted on the standards are pedestals 32 having bosses with holes 32a therein. Mounted and secured in the holes are two shafts 33 and 33a. These shafts adjustably support a motor base 34. Attached to the base is a motor 35 having an extending shaft 35a. Fixed on the motor shaft is a hub 36 with slots 36a. In these slots are fixed radially extending blades 37, which are so positioned that they will slightly contact with a depressed scrap section 2511, as can be seen by referring to Figure 2. The blades are rotated rapidly by the motor, and whenever a scrap section is depressed, the blades will remove the section from the blank while it moves uninterruptedly through the machine.

After the removal of the scrap section the blank passes beneath gluing rolls 39 where glue is applied in stripes in the usual'manner along the sections of the blank indicated at 40, 40a, and 40b. Rigidly mounted on the bed of the machine is a plate 41 Integral with the plate is a rail 42 with a top surface 42a over which the blanks slide.

A perpendicular wall 42b 'of this rail is flat at one end 420 over its entire height. The other end 43 of the rail is undercut to'form an L-shape on the underside 43a. From this end 43, to a point 4317 close to the other end, the L-shaped underside opening is gradually diminished until it intersects the perpendicular surface or wall 42!). Referring to Figure 6 and the various sections taken from this figure, it will be seen how the underside L-shaped section is developed.

A top surface pressure plate 44 shown in Figure 1a and in dotted lines 44a in Figure 6, has a narrow upturned end 45. It has a tapered side 45a which corresponds to the slope of the diminishing L-shaped underside of the rail. This plate is held rigidly in place by means of rods 46 or their equivalent. The tapered edge of this plate is positioned so that it will be just far enough away and admit a carton to pass between it and the slope of the underside L-shaped walls of the rails.

Rotatably mounted in bearings provided in the side frame is a shaft 47. On this shaft there are fixed pulleys 47a which drive conveyor belts 48 extending the full length of the machine. At the top of the machine there is another rotatable shaft 49 having pulleys 49a for driving other conveyor belts 50. These other belts are in line with the lower conveyor belts and provide the means for holding the blanks in contact with the lower belts so that the blanks will be carried through the required sequence of operations. These other conveyor belts 50 are illustrated in Fig. 11.

Directly in front of the L-shaped rail are two pinch rolls 51 and 51a fixedly mounted on shafts 52 and 52a. These shafts are rotatably mounted in bearings 53 which are rigidly mounted on the main frame of the machine. The pinch rolls squeeze down the section of the blank folded over by the L-shaped rail and insure that this section will be glued together. Beyond these pinch rolls 51 and 51a are the turn over plates 44a in conjunction with the belts 50, and beyond these are the lower long pinch roll 54 and the upper pinch rolls 54a, 54b, and 540.

For purposes of explaining my method and machine, I have illustrated an egg carton blank 5 during its assembly, the blank being like that shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 635,970, filed October 3, 1932. Certain sections 25a of the blank are cut so that they can be completely removed. These sections are scrap and must be removed in this particular type of carton. Other sections 55 are also cut and must also be removed to form slots 56a.

The cutting out of the blank is performed in multiple by any usual die press having cutting blades which form the cuts shown in Figure 3. The scrap which is defined by the cuts will not fall out of itself, but remains in the blank, thus keeping the blank fiat and permitting automatic feeding from a hopper. The fact that the scrap remains in place in the blank is the usual experience of the art.

The blanks, as illustrated in Figure '3, are stacked on top of each other in the hopper, with their edges 57 adjacent the feed rollers. The feed rollers push them forward and the blanks, one at a time, pass underneath the spring members. The spring members push down on the sections 25a and depress them so that the whirling blades will hit them and knock them from the blank. The other spring members push on the sections in the slots 55 and eject them from the blanks, leaving the slots clean. After removal of the scrap sections, the blanks pass between the discs 39 and glue is applied to the sections 40, 40a, and 40b.

It will be noted that the blanks are now free from the scrap and glue applied to them individually, and they are being conveyed in rapid succession to the folding mechanism.

It would be impractical to attempt to feed car.- ton blanks having scrap removed which frees articulated flaps for slightly folding upwardly, by any usual mechanical feed at economical speed. In the past the art has had to resort to individual blank hand feeding.

It is thus very important to my invention that I have conceived of the improvement of establishing by automatic machinery a rapid succession of blanks, which blanks could not be so fed unless the adhering scrap which holds down the articulated flaps is removed in the movement of the blank toward the gluing and folding mechanisms.

One way of expressing my improvement in method is that as a way of providing a succession of cut blanks to a folding and gluing mechanism, I pass the blanks through any feeder available in the art, convey the blanks toward the gluer and folder by any available conveyor or series of conveyors available in the art, and during this feeding I remove the scrap by any available means, particularly when applicable to a moving blank.

The preferred mechanism for removing the scrap is novel, but I could also employ a. series of compressed air Jets, a traveling punch, or any other mechanical device.

Thus, I have an invention which has method aspects, which I believe to be patentable as such.

near-,aae

The underside of section 4011 will slide over the surface 44 and its top surface will slide underneath the hold-down plate 44. 'While the carton continues to pass through the machine, the section 401; will be folded over gradually along the score lines 58 and 580 until there is an overlapped or pleated fold as is illustrated at 59 in Figure 4.

Section 60 will then form a longitudinal leg the full length of the box. After making the bend ghied flap 62 will be posted to the cover sm'face portion: which carrying individual 63 along the line 64. At the same time that this fold is being made. the section 40a will be pasted to thesurface 85 adjacent the line 61, and all the adhesive surfaces will be pressed by the pinch rolls 54, 54a, 54b, and'5-ic. Folding and pastin the carton in this manner results in a collapsed carton 66 as illustrated in Figure 5, the section 40o providing the other longitudinal leg the full length of the carton, which has been fully described in my co-pending application, as hereinbefore referred to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:--

1. In combination with a machine for foldins and gluing carton blanks having cut-out scrap require removal, a conveyor for blanks to said machine. and means effective during the interval when the blanks are carried on said conveyor for ejecting said scrap portions 1 2. In combination with a'mac'hinefor folding and gluing carton blanks having cut-out scrap portions'which'require removal, conveying means for carrying individual blanks in said machine, and means effective during the interval when the blanks are carried by said conveying means for partially ejecting said scrap portions by pressing said scrap portions outward, and means for completely ejecting the pressed out scrap portions.

3. A gluing and folding machine for formin knock-down carton blanks, comprising a conveyor for carrying flat blanks, means for applying adhesive to predetermined bands on said blanks, means for forming pleated folds in each blank, whereby one supporting leg is formed while they are in motion. and means for folding over side walls of said blanks for forming an additional supporting leg for each carton, and means for securing said blanks in flat tubular condition.

4. A gluing and folding machine for forming knock-down cartons comprising means for feeding flat blanks, a conveying means for carrying the flat blanks, means for applying adhesive to predetermined bands on said blanks, means for forming pleated folds in each blank, whereby one supporting leg is formed while they are in motion, and means for folding over side walls of said blanks for forming an additional supporting leg for each carton, and means for securing said blanks in flat tubular condition, all of said adhesive applying and folding operations being carried out while said blank is in continuous motion.

5.v A method of forming knock-down containers having legs supporting the container base at the side edges, which consists in moving flat blanks along, applying adhesive to each blank, forming a pleated fold in each blank where the each blank so that it overlies an unfolded portion of each blank so that following said pleating and folding operation each blank will assume collapsed tubular shape.

6. A method of forming knock-down containers having legs supporting the container base at the side edges, which consists in moving flat blanks along, applying adhesive to spaced portions of each blank, forming a pleated fold in each blank where the adhesive is applied to one portion to form a leg at one side, then foldingover a side of each blank at another portion where the adhesive is applied to'form a. leg at the other edge, and so that it overlies an unfolded portion of each blank so that following said pleating and folding operation each blank will assume collapsed tubular shape.

7. In a machine of the character described,

means for conveying blanks, means for applying parallel stripes of adhesive to said blanks as they are conveyed, means for forming a pleat in each blank along one of the stripes of adhesive while the blank is being conveyed, means for folding a. portion of said blank along another stripe of adhesive to overlie the pleated fold to contact a portion of the blank with a third stripe of the adhesive between the contacting portions, and means to press the completely folded and pleated blank during further passage of the blank to press the adhering portions together.

a. In a machine of the character described.

means for conveying blanks having cut-out scrap portions requiring removal, means for ejecting said scrap portions from the blanks while the blanksv are. being conveyed, meansv for applying parallel stripes of adhesive to said blanks as theyare conveyed, means for forming a pleat in each blank along one of the stripes of adhesive while the blank is being conveyed, means for folding a portion of said blank along another stripe of adhesive to lie across the pleated fold to contact a portion of the blank with a third stripe of the adhesive between the contacting portions, and means to press the completely folded and pleat-ed blank during further passage of the blank to press the adhering portions together.

9. In a machine ofv the character described,

means for conveying blanks, means for pressing the scrap portions out from the blanks while they are being conveyed, means for electing the pressed out scrap portions while the blanks are being conveyed, means for applying parallel stripes of adhesiveto said blanks as they are conveyed, means for forming a pleat in each blank along one of the stripes of adhesive while the blank is being conveyed. means for folding a portion oflsald blank along another stripe of adhesive to overlie the pleated fold to contact a portion of the blank with a third stripe of the adhesive between the contacting portions, and means to press the completely folded and pleated blank during further passage of the blank to press the adhering portions together.

10. In a machine of the character described, means for conveying a carton blank having cutout scrap portions requiring removal therefrom, means for pressing an advanced end portion of the scrap out from the blank as it is conveyed along, and meansmoving in the direction opposite to that of conveyance of the blank engaging said pressed out end portion of the scrap and completing the removal of the scrap from the blank.

11. In a machine of the character described,

adhesive is applied, then folding over a side of of the blank as, it iscarried, means for foldingv theblank along the portions having' the adhesive as the blank is carried, the folding at one portioniorming a pleat, and the folding at another portion having adhesive forming the blank into a flat tubular knock-down container, and means for-pressing said flat, tubular container at all of the folded and adhesive hearing portions durin carrying of the container.

12. In a device for removingscrap portions from cartonblanks, a support for the blanks,

' means for forcing the blanks individually along the support, means-for feeding the blanks successively to the forcing means, said support being- --.open downwardly where the scrap portions of the blanks pass along the suppora means bearing down on the blanks only within the lateral liniitsof the scrap portions, effective to displace.

the scrap portions downwardly from the blanks; and means below the support, for completely re-imoving said scrap portions from the blanks by engagement. with displaced extensions of Y theportion Judged thereimrneans encaeinc thescrap scrap portions.

13. In a. machine for folding carton blanks'by moving the blanksalong a defined path; two;-

folding members, one above the other, along said path, the lower-member having an upstanding element at one side of and along said path with a'vfiangev overhanging the path, beginning near the approach end of the member and gradually being thinner as it extends toward -the-leaving end thereof, forming a space thereunder, which;

gradually-increases in height, and the .upper member lying above the ,top of said upstanding from said'upstanding'element toward the middle:

obthe path where. it lies above said element, and.

being gradually widened inits. extent toward the ,1

leaving end of the memberand extendingv down-. wardly in said extent and,-ior a substantial dis tance having its edge lying within the space 1111*; dertherflange, whereby a blank, ted aloha the top of the upstandingelement under the upper; member, isgradually folded into a pleat around, the edges of the upper member and the flange at; the, upstanding element. I 14. In a device of the character described-,

means for moving a carton blank having a scrap; 5.;

portion. lodged; therein, and devices successively, engaging the scrap portion at opposite suricccs or the blank, in the course or the blank movement; to remove the scrap portion trom the blank. both engaging devices-being pt open construction:

where; they engage-the scrap portion-,lleaving the: scrap portion .free'to' pass away from said engagihEQGViCCSrflE'SOOII as the respectivewdevices-han acted upon said portion.

5-15. In adevice; otthe character described.

means for moving a carton blank having a scrap portion at one surface of the blank to-injitiaterce moval of the scrap portion, and means engaging the partiallyremoved scrap portion atthe. oppol-l site surface of the blank, tocomplete the removal-J or that-scrap portion. both of said engaging means being or operrconstruction where they en-,

gage the scrap portion.- leaving .the scrap portion free topass'away from said enzaging-meansas 

